Executive function might sound like corporate jargon, but it’s actually one of the most crucial aspects of how your brain operates daily. Think of it as your brain’s “CEO”—the system that manages planning, organizing, focusing, and regulating emotions. When these skills work smoothly, life feels manageable. But when executive function struggles emerge, even simple tasks can become overwhelming sources of stress and frustration.
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Executive function refers to a set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. These skills help us focus attention, remember instructions, juggle multiple tasks successfully, and regulate our emotions and behaviour. Essentially, executive function is what allows us to plan ahead, stay organized, and adapt when things don’t go as expected.
Understanding executive function becomes clearer when we break it down into its three core components:
Working Memory
Working memory is your brain’s ability to hold information front of mind while using it. It’s what allows you to remember a phone number long enough to dial it, or follow multi-step instructions without losing track. When working memory struggles, people might forget what they were doing mid-task or lose track of important details.
Mental Flexibility (Cognitive Flexibility)
This is your brain’s ability to switch between thinking about different concepts or adapt when rules change. Mental flexibility helps you transition from one activity to another, see problems from different angles, and adjust when unexpected changes occur. Without it, people may get “stuck” in routines or have difficulty when plans change unexpectedly.
Inhibitory Control (Self-Control)
Inhibitory control helps you resist impulses, stay focused, and think before acting. It’s what stops you from interrupting others, helps you stick to a task even when it’s boring, and allows you to consider consequences before making decisions. When this system struggles, people may act impulsively or have difficulty controlling their emotional responses.
Why Are Your Executive Functions So Important?
Executive functions are foundational skills that make everything else possible. They’re what allow you to:
Without strong executive function skills, daily life becomes an uphill battle. Work projects remain unfinished, relationships suffer from emotional outbursts, and the constant struggle to stay organized creates ongoing stress and anxiety.
Poor executive functioning can stem from various factors:
Neurological Differences: Different learning styles (picture thinkers), neurodivergent brains, ADHD, autism and dyslexia often involve executive function challenges. The regions of the brain responsible for these skills may develop differently or function in unique ways for neurodiverse individuals.
Brain Injury or Trauma: Traumatic brain injuries, strokes, or other brain-related medical conditions can impact executive function abilities.
Stress and Mental Health: Chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and trauma can significantly impact executive functioning, making it harder to focus, plan, and regulate emotions.
Developmental Factors: Some people may not have had opportunities to develop strong executive function skills during childhood, or may have missed learning key foundational concepts that support these abilities.
This is a common source of confusion. Poor executive function isn’t a diagnosis itself—it’s a characteristic that can appear across many different neuro-types:
However, executive function challenges can also exist independently without a formal diagnosis. Some people simply have brains that work differently and need targeted support to develop these crucial skills.
The good news is that executive function skills can be improved, but the approach matters significantly. Traditional strategies often focus on external supports and behavioural modifications – things like planners, reminder systems, and time management techniques.
While these tools can be helpful, they don’t address the underlying issue: difficulty with abstract concepts that form the foundation of executive functioning.
The Davis Concepts for Life Program takes a different approach by helping individuals truly understand and internalize abstract concepts like time, sequence, cause and effect, and responsibility. Using hands-on, clay-based learning techniques, people develop a solid conceptual foundation that supports lasting executive function improvements.
Absolutely! Executive functioning skills can be taught and strengthened at any age. However, the most effective approaches go beyond surface-level strategies to address the foundational concepts that support these skills.
The Davis Concepts for Life Workshop teaches parents, professionals, teachers, and support workers—as well as individuals struggling with executive function themselves—how to build these foundational skills using proven techniques that make abstract concepts concrete and understandable. Whether you’re supporting someone you care about or seeking tools for your own executive function challenges, by the end of this workshop you’ll have the skills to guide someone through nearly 50 abstract concepts that form the foundation of strong executive functioning.
Read the next post in this series: Why Traditional Executive Function Strategies Don’t Work for Neurodivergent Brains
Now that you understand what executive function is and why it’s so crucial for daily life, you might be wondering: “What does this look like in real life, and how can it be addressed?”
We recently hosted an expert panel discussion where licensed Davis facilitators explored these exact questions. You’ll discover:
Watch the replay now and get our FREE Executive Function Challenges Checklist – a comprehensive tool to help you identify specific areas where you or your loved one might need support.